Train-pipe coupling.



W. z. PULLIAM & F. VAN PELT.

TRAIN PIPE COUPLING.

APPLICATION nun 121:0. 19, 1910.

Patented May 9, 1911.

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TRAIN PIPE COUPLING.

APPLICATION FILED D130. 19, 1910.

Patented May 9, 1911.

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' UNITED sTAT s- PATENT OFFICE.

I WILLIAM z. Pmmm nun rnAN'K vnn'rnm', or mnsnone, cALrronmA.

" TRAIN-PIPE cour'rimo;

To all-whom it mag concern:

Be it known that we, WILLIAM Z. PUL- LIAM and FRANK VAN Inur, citizensof the United States, residing at Randsburg, in the county of Kern andState of California, have invented certain'new and useful Improvementsin Train-Pipe Couplings; and we do declare the fiollowing to be a full,

clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make anduse thesame. I

Tlns lnvention relates to improvements ntrain pipe couplings;

' 5 Another object One object of the invention isjto provide a trainp1pe coupling which will automatically lock and form a fluid tightconnect1on when the. arts of the 'sameare brought together un erpressure and which will be au-.

tomatically released when the pressure is removed.

valve which is automaticall opened an closed when the members thecoupling are eiigaged and separated;

Wit these and other objects in view, the invention consists of .certamnovel features .of construction, combination and arrangecouplingmembers.

the couplin ment of parts as will be more fully described andparticularly pointed out in the 'appended claims. g

In the accom anying drawmgs: Figure 1 is a side view oi the couplinappliedto the ends of two cars showin t e members of gi'separ atedt jg.2 is 'a'v'ert'ical longitudina section throng the outer ca's; ing of thecouplin members, showing the parts in. uncoupled ,position; Fig.3 is asimilar view' showing the parts'in cou ledg position; Fig.4! is acentral longitu inalv section of the coupling with the members in uncouledj position" as shown in Figs. 1 and '25 Fig. Lisa similarview showingthe mem- ,.bers m coupled position; Flg. 6 is an end view of a portionof a car and one of the The; members of the improved coupling each"conslsts of anrouter casing. l which is square or rectangular on itsouter surfaces andis? rovidedwith a cylindrical socket? 1 'in whic isslidabl'y and revolu bly mounted a'cylindrical plunger 3 having acentrally" disposed bore or passa e 4.v In 'one side of the plunger 3 isforme a cam groove 5 with ;which is fada-pted"tobe engaged at plunger istoprovide a coupling i of this character having a fluid controllingSpecification of Letters Patent. Patented 9, 1911,

- Application filed December 19, 1810. Serial No. 398,085. I

revolving pin-or bo1tp6 which is arran ed in the top of the casing Landis provi ed on its inner end with an antl-friction roller 7. j

In' the casing isarranged a coiled plunger projecting spring 8wherebythe plungeris yieldingly held in a projected position when thecouplingis out ofen agement with the adjoining coupling; On t eouter endof'the plungers 3 are formed spiral-threads or proections 10 which, whenthe plungers are brought together and turned, will interlock gether incon and thus firmlly-deonnect the plun ers .to

engagement. en the members of t e. coupling are brought ,to-.

gether into forcible enga ement the plungers 3 will be pushed bac in thesockets 2 of the casing which movement will cause the pins, or bolts 6to engage the cam slots 5 to turn the plun ers in the pro er-directionfor bringing t e spiral threa s or projections on the outer ends thereofinto interlocking engagement. When pressure is removed from the outerends of the plungers the s rings 9 will force the same outwardly whicmovement will cause the pins or bolts 6 to turn; the plungers in areverse direction thus unscrewmg the threaded outer ends thereof,'thereby allowing the ends of the plungers to separate. In theouter endsof the plungers are refer-ably arranged rubber gaskets or pee in rings11 which serve.

to provide a fluid tig t connection between the ends of the plungers.

' In the lowerside of the casing 1 is formed La fluid inlet port 12 withwhich is connected the end of a flexible tube or hose l3 leading to thetrain ipe. The-port 12 communi- "cates, with a ovetail shaped recessorvalve seat 1 1 formed in the inner side of the easing. In one side ofthe inner end of the plunger is formed a transversely disposed port15,which opens at its inner end in the passage 4 of the plu er andwhich, has its outer end broughtnnto communication with the recess '14:when the plunger is pushedback and turned by the en agement of the cam.groove 5 with the pinjtias hereinbefore described:

Whenthe. couplers are 'in an uncoupled position andthe plungersprojected the orts! 12- in'the casings will. becovered and cosed. byslide valves, 16 which areslid'ably mounted in the recesses 14 and haveformed thereon, inwardly projecting stems or operating plates 17 whichexten' into the passages 4 I of the casings andare disposed between theinner ends of the plungers and the adjacent ends of the springs wherebywhen the plungers are .pushed back they will push the valves 16 back andthus open the ports 12 and when the plungers are projected by thesprings the valves will be moved outwardly thus closing the ports. Ashereinbefore stated, in the retracting movement of the plungers the sameare turned to bring the 7 ports therein into register with the re cesses14 and' it will be understood that this action occurring simultaneouslywith the re-.

tracting of the valves 16 will permit the fluid from the train pipe topass through theports 12 and 15 into the tubular plunger of one couplingand through the same-and,

the plunger of the adjoining coupling thereby connecting the train pipesof the cars.

' The coupling members may be attached to the end of the cars in anysuitable manner and are here shown as having a universal jointconnection therewith by, means of a ball 18 formed on the end ofthe'casing 1 and engaged witha socket 19 formed in a swiveled rings 23 towhich are connected the lower ends of supporting rods or cables 24, theupper ends of which are secured to any suitable part of the car. 7

','From the foregoing description taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings, theconstruction and operation of the inventionwill-be readily understood without requiring a more extendedexplanation.

Various changes in the form, proportion and the minor details ofconstruction may be resorted to without departing from the principle orsacrificing any of the advantages ofcthis'invention as defined inthe ap;

pended claims.

1 Having thus described our invention what .we-claim is: v

1. In a train pipe c ou pling a pair of couplingmembers each of whichcomprises a casing having aclosed end, a sprin projected plunger sliingly and rotatab y ar ranged therein, said plunger having alongitud'inal passage, a locking device formed on the outer end of saidplunger whereby 'when the plungers of the coupling members .a-rezbroughttogether said ends will forman O interlocking engagement, andmeanswhereby the plungers are turnedin sa'id casings by the pressure of theirengagement-to lock the ends theneof together and whereby said ends willbe released when the pressure is 1 removed or the members disengaged.

2., In atrain pipecoupling,-a pair of I coupling members each of whichcomprises I a casing having a closed end, plungers mounted to' turn 1nsaid casing, said plungers having formed therein fluid conducting pas-70, sages, interlocking projections formed on the outer ends of saidplungers whereby said. ends will be locked whenth'e same are broughtinto engagementgmeans whereby the plungers are turned when pushed backby their engagement with each other, I springs arranged in said casingsand disposed betweenthe closed, endsof the casings and plungers andadapted to force the latter outwardly when the pressure thereon isremoved whereby the plunge-rs will be turned in an opposite directionand the locking projections on the outer ends f thereof released, andmeans whereby said casings are loosely connected to theends of a car. 3.In atrain pipe coupling a pair of pling members each of which comprisesif. casing having formed on one side a train pipe connection, hollowplungers slidably and revolubly mounted in's'aid casings, said plungershaving formed therein cam grooves, a' plunger revolving pin arranged insaid casin s, said pins having on their inner ends antirictionrollersadapted to engage said grooves whereby when the plungers arepushed inwardly they will be revolved in one direction and when pushedoutwardly will be revolved in the opposite direction, lockingprojections formed onlthe outer ends of said I plungers and adaptedto'be operatively engaged to lock said ends together when the.

;plungers are brought into engagement and forced backin said casings,springs adapted to push said plungers outwardly and to hold 105.

the same in a projected position, when the pressure is removed therebydisengaging said locked ends, means to operatively con I v Y nect saidcasings tothe car and a valve'arranged in said casings, and operated bythe movement of said plungers whereby the flow of the liquid from thetrain pipe to the plungers is automatically controlled to permit thefluid to'pass through the plungers when in a retracted and lockedposition and to cut oif the iiow-ofliquid when the plum gers are in aprojectedor released position.

4:. Ina train pipe coupling a pair of coupling 'members each of whichcomprises a casing, a ball formed on the inner end of said casings, asocket arranged-on the ends of the car and adapted to receive said ballwhereby: said casings are loosely connected to the cars and permitted toswin in any direction, supporting frameson t e outer ends of saidcasings, means whereb said frames ,are suspended to hold said casings inposltion, plungers slidably and revolubly mounted in said casings, saidplungers hava a ingformed therein fluid conducting passages 0 ranged inthe outer ends of sald plungers,

v, inter-locking connections formed on said outer ends, meanswhereby theplungers are revolved to o eratively connect and lock the ends of the pungers to ether when brought into engagement and orced back in saidcasings, springs to projectsaid plun turn the same in an oppositeirection whereby the latter are disengaged when backward pressurethereon is removed, means to connect the train pipes with said casingsand fluid controllin valves arranged in said casings and adapte to beautomatically operatedby the movement of said plungers to control theflow of fluid from the train pipes to said plungers.

5. In a train pipe cougfling, a pair of couplingmembersyeach o wh1chcomprises a casin having in one side a valve seat and a fluid inletpassage, communicating therewith,

ers and a cylindrical tubular plunger slidably mounted'in'said casingsaid plunger havin a fluid inlet port, means to revolve said plungerwhen pushed back thereb bringing) the'inlet port therein into registe%with the valve seat and inlet passa e in said casing, a spring to forcesaid p unger outwardly there y moving said ports out of register, and avalve arranged in said seat and operated by the movement of said plungerto open and close'the inlet passage in' said casing.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands 1n presence of twosubscribing witnesses,

. WILLIAM z. PULLIAM; FRANK VAN PELT.

Witnesses:

E. B. Maoml ns, JAMES MONTGOMERY.

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